Immunochemical conjugates: method and composition

ABSTRACT

Techniques for preparing stable conjugates of protein-D-GL which can then be isolated in pure form are disclosed, using hen egg ovalbumin (OVA) as a prototype protein, and conjugation and purification methods are described which involve (1) application of a coupling method employing m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS) as the coupling reagent, and (2) introduction of biotin moieties into D-GL molecules to allow application of avidinbiotin system for affinity chromatographic purification of conjugates. These methods are applicable to the preparation of D-GL conjugates of insulin and Ragweed Antigen E and are of general applicability.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a division of application Ser. No. 004,333, filed Jan. 18, 1979,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,565, which in turn is a continuation-in-part ofApplication Ser. No. 764,586, filed Feb. 2, 1977, INDUCTION OFIMMUNOLOGICAL TOLERANCE, by David H. Katz, the sole inventor of thesubject matter of the present invention, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,668.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to methods of forming antigen conjugates withD-glutamic acid-D-lysine copolymers for forming substances which areuseful in inducing immunological tolerance.

The following abbreviations are used:

    ______________________________________                                        D-GL:       a synthetic copolymer of D-glutamic                                           acid and D-lysine, poly (D Gly.sup.60                                         D Lys.sup.40) (J. Biol. Chem. 247,                                            323 (1972)), and equivalent copolymers                            OVA:        ovalbumin                                                         MBS:        m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide                           SHA:        s-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride                                MB--OVA     m-maleimidobenzoyl--OVA (--D-GL)                                  (or --D-GL):                                                                  SH--D-GL    mercaptosuccinyl--D-GL (--OVA)                                    (or --OVA):                                                                   MB--In (or AgE):                                                                          m-maleimidobenzoyl-Insulin (-Ragweed)                                         Antigen E)                                                        SH--In (or AgE):                                                                          mercaptosuccinyl-Insulin (-Ragweed                                            Antigen E)                                                        MB--Antigen:                                                                              m-maleimidobenzoyl-antigen                                        SH--Antigen:                                                                              mercaptosuccinyl-antigen                                          PBS:        phosphate-buffered saline, 0.01 M                                             sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.2,                                              0.15 M NaCl                                                       HPP:        3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionyl                                     2-ME:       2-mercaptoethanol                                                 D-GL--Antigen:                                                                            conjugate of D-GL and an antigen                                  AgE         Ragweed Antigen E                                                 AgE--D-GL   conjugate of ragweed antigen E                                                with D-GL                                                         Sephadex    Epichlorohydrin cross-linked dextran                                          gel of standardized quality and                                               characteristics obtained from                                                 Pharmacia Fine Chemicals AB.                                                  SEPHADEX is a trademark. Sephadex                                             G-25 has a water regain value of                                              2.5, and Sephadex G-100 has a                                                 water regain value of 10. (SEPHADEX                                           PROPERTIES, Pharmacia Fine Chemicals)                             Sepharose   Agarose modified according to the                                             method of Hjerten by Pharmacia                                                Fine Chemicals AB. Sepharose is                                               a trademark. (PREPARATION OF                                                  SEPHAROSE, Pharmacia Fine Chemicals)                              ______________________________________                                    

BACKGROUND ART

Conjugates of low molecular weight haptens and a synthetic copolymer ofD-glutamic acid and D-lysine (D-GL) have been shown to be very effectivein inducing in experimental animals hapten-specific immunologicaltolerance which is highly specific and long-lasting (for review seeKatz, 1974; Katz and Benacerraf, 1974). The tolerant state in suchcircumstances is (1) restricted to bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (Bcells) which are precursors of antibody-secreting cells, (2) accompaniedby a significant diminution of hapten-specific antigen-binding B cells,and (3) results in a preferential depression of the high affinityanti-hapten antibody response. Antibody responses of all immunoglobulinclasses, including reaginic (IgE) anibodies responsible for local andsystemic allergic reactions, are abolished by hapten-D-GL conjugates.Moreover, a very important aspect of this system is that such D-GLconjugates are highly effective in turning off ongoing antibodyresponses in previously sensitized individuals.

This system has been well-characterized with 2,4-dinitrophenyl(DNP)-D-GL (Katz, 1974; Katz and Benacerraf, 1974) and has been extendedto the induction of tolerance to nucleoside conjugates of D-GL (Eshharet al., 1975) which has clinical potential for abolishing anti-nuclearantibody production occurring in patients with systemic lupuserythematosus. Induction of tolerance to the major allergenicdeterminant of penicillin, the benzylpenicilloyl (BPO) hapten, has alsobeen demonstrated by administering BPO-D-GL to experimental animals(Chiorazzi et al., 1976); the latter system has obvious clinicalapplicability in terms of treating patients with penicillin allergy.Based on the previously established knowledge in tolerance systems usinghapten-D-GL conjugates, it is conceivable that larger macromoleculescoupled to D-GL will have similar tolerance-inducing properties, oncebound to specific immunoglobulin receptors on B lymphocytes. Therefore,I have been attempting to develop the methadology for preparation ofstable conjugates of complex proteins coupled to D-GL for therapeuticuse.

There are two major concerns in the preparation of protein-D-GLconjugates which will be tested in experimental animals for theirbiological activities and clinical applicabilities. (1) The conjugationreaction should be as mild as possible so that the antigenicdeterminants of the protein of interest are maximally retained. (2) Theconjugate should be free of non-conjugated protein, especially proteindimers or oligomers which may be produced under the conjugationconditions and may not be easily separable from the conjugate byconventional chromatographic techniques. For all the protein-D-GLconjugates prepared, there should be a method to demonstrateconclusively the absence of non-conjugated protein, since contaminationof any preparation by such molecules would pose a serious detriment tothe effectiveness of tolerance induction and, more importantly, couldconstitute a life-threatening health hazard if such preparations wereemployed clinically.

Most commonly used coupling reagents such as glutaraldehyde,bisimidoesters, toluenediisocyanate and carbodiimides are not suitablefor our purpose since they react mainly by coupling amino group withamino or carboxyl group and can result in extensive self-coupling ofproteins. D-GL, which has an abundance of amino and carboxyl groups isparticularly susceptible to this process. The ideal coupling methodinvolves the introduction of a functional group into the protein (orD-GL) which reacts only with another functional group introduced intoD-GL (or the protein). The recently reported coupling reagentm-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS), Kitagawa andAikawa, 1976) seems to be just such a reagent. Sulfhydryl groups, theother necessary reactive component, can be incorporated into D-GL (orprotein) by known procedures.

Protein conjugates with D-GL are prepared by, first, preparing MBSmodified protein and SHA modified D-GL and reacting MBS modified proteinwith SHA modified D-GL to produce protein-D-GL conjugates, and,conversely, by preparing SHA modified protein and MBA modified D-GL andreacting SHA modified protein and MBA modified D-GL to form the sameclass of protein-D-GL conjugates. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention, MB-Antigen and SH-D-GL are reacted to form D-GL-Antigenconjugate, or conversely, SH-Antigen and MB-D-GL are reacted to form thesame class of D-GL-Antigen conjugate. Specific novel methods forcarrying out the preparation of MB-protein, SH-protein, MB-D-GL andSh-D-GL and reacting MB-protein with SH-D-GL or SH-protein with MB-D-GLto form the D-GL-protein conjugate are specific features of theinvention. More particular, individual exemplary features of theinvention are the preparation of MBS modified antigens such as MB-In,and MB-E, SHA modified antigens such as SH-In and SH-E, and MB-D-GL orSH-D-GL followed by the reaction of one of the MB-Antigens with SH-D-GLor one of the SH-Antigens with MB-D-GL to prepare D-GL-Antigen, e.g.,D-GL-E or D-GL-In conjugates of, respectively, Ragweed antigen E orinsulin.

Preparation and isolation of protein-D-GL conjugates, demonstrated bythe exemplary OVA-D-GL conjugates, by the generation of SH-D-GL (biotin)from its protected precurser in situ in the presence of MB-Protein, andthe purification by direct application of the reaction mixture to anavidin-Sepharose column are additional features of the presentinvention.

Other features of the invention include the specific reactionconditions, preparation and separation techniques and methods describedin detail hereinafter.

It is pointed out that the OVA-D-GL conjugate system, the starting andintermediate reagents, and the reactions using ovalbumin, and theinformation related to these reactions, materials and procedures, areset forth in detail to exemplify the invention and not as a statement orimplication of the scope of the invention. The invention is a generalmethod for forming protein-D-GL conjugates. A particular application ofthe invention is the preparation of D-GL-Antigen conjugates. Ovalbuminreactions typify protein reactions and, therefore, are selected asillustrative only of a general invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart which depicts the chemical coupling of protein toD-GL using protein (or D-GL) conjugates with a maleimide group andthiolated D-GL (or protein);

FIG. 2 is a graphical depiction of the purification of biotin-labeledOVA-D-GL conjugate by affinity chromatography on avidin-Sepharose.Conjugate preparation composed of 9.9 mg (220 nmol) of OVA and 11.9 mg(187 nmol) of D-GL was loaded on the column of avidin-Sepharose (40 mL)equilibrated with PBS at 4°. Arrows indicate change of eluent. Flow rate57 mL/h;

FIG. 3 is a graphical depiction of: (a) Sephadex G-100 chromatography ofbiotin-eluted material from avidin-Sepharose column (FIG. 2, secondpeak); and (b) Sephadex G-100 chromatography of PBS-eluted material fromavidin-Sepharose column (FIG. 2, first peak). The column (1.6 cm×80 cm)was equilibrated with PBS and eluted with the same solvent at 4°. Flowrate 9.6 mL/h;

FIG. 4 is a graphical depiction of the spectrophotometric assay ofbiotin-labeled D-GL and OVA-D-GL conjugate. A 1 mL solution of avidin(8.3 μM) containing 4-hydroxyazobenzene-2'-carboxylic acid (HABA, 240μM) was titrated with a solution (3 mg/mL) of biotin₄.5 -D-GL (--o--o--)or a mixture of biotin₄.5 -D-GL and biotin₄.5 -D-GL-OVA containing anequal amount (3 mg/mL) of total biotin₄.5 -D-GL (--o--o--);

FIG. 5 is a graphical depiction of the quantitative precipitin reactionof OVA and OVA-D-GL conjugate with rabbit anti-OVA serum. Reactions wererun with 200 μL of OVA or OVA-D-GL (the amount of OVA in the conjugatewas determined as described in the text) and 100 μL of antiserum. Themixture was incubated at 37° for 1 h and 4° overnight. The precipitateswere collected, washed with cold PBS, and analyzed by Lowry-Folinmethod;

FIG. 6 is a graphical depiction of the results of the testing ofinsulin-D-Gl antigenicity by insulin radioimmunoassay. Insulin (porcine)or insulin-D-GL was incubated with rabbit anti-insulin serum (1:40) at4° for 1.5 h. ¹³¹ I-insulin was added and the mixture was incubated at4° for 1.5 h. Antigen-antibody complexes were precipitated with goatanti-rabbit γ-globulin and the supernatants were counted for ¹³¹ Iradioactivity. Triplicates were run for each concentration of antigen;

FIG. 7 graphically depicts the OVA-D-GL induction of persistenttolerance in the IgE, but not the IgG, antibody class in CAF₁ micesensitized repeatedly with OVA in alum. Normal CAF₁ mice were either nottreated or treated with unconjugated OVA (100 μg) a mixture ofunconjugated OVA (100 μg) plug D-GL (250 μg) or OVA-D-GL. (250 μg D-GLcontaining 100 μg OVA). Pretreated mice were injected 4 times, receivingthe dose indicated each time. Doses were administered, by the routesindicated, on alternating days. One day after the 4th dose, all micewere primarily immunized with 10 μg of OVA in 4 mg of alum. The secondtreatment was administered on days 15, 16, 17 and 20 and wasadministered by the routes indicated. A secondary challenge was carriedout on day 21 with 10 μg of OVA in 2 mg of alum. Tertiary challenge wascarried out on day 66 in the same manner (all immunizations were giveni.p.). Serum IgE (bottom panel) and IgG (top panel) anti-OVA antibodyresponses of groups of 3 mice bled on various days after primaryimmunization, as indicated, are illustrated;

FIG. 8 graphically depicts the induction of tolerance in the IgEantibody class by administration of OVA-D-GL to CAF₁ mice previouslysensitized to OVA. Normal CAF₁ mice were primarily immunized with 10 μgof OVA in 4 mg of alum on day 0. Two weeks later, one of these groupswas treated with OVA-D-GL (250 μg D-GL containing 10 μg OVA)administered 4 times, either i.d. or i.v. as indicated, on days 15, 16,17 and 20 (250 μg per injection). On day 21, this group and theuntreated control mice were secondarily challenged with 10 μg of OVA in2 mg of alum. On day 59, the group of OVA-D-GL-treated mice wassubjected to a second treatment regimen with OVA-D-GL administered ondays 59, 62, 64 and 66 by the routes indicated and in the same dosegiven for the initial treatment. Also on day 66, both groups were givena tertiary challenge of 10 μg of OVA in 2 mg of alum. Serum IgE (bottompanel) and IgG (top panel) antibody responses of the treated micerepresented as percent of the response developed by the untreatedcontrol group with the actual antibody levels of the controls indicatedin parenthesis above or below each data point. Each group consisted of 3mice;

FIG. 9 graphically depicts the antigen E-D-GL induction of tolerance inthe IgE antibody calss when administered to CAF₁ mice one year afterinitial sensitization with antigen E. Normal CAF₁ mice were exposed to250 R whole body X-irradiation shortly prior to primary immunizationwith 10 μg of RAG in 4 mg of alum. All mice were bled on days 10 and 20after sensitization and the levels of IgE anti-AgE antibodies areillustrated in the left panel. These mice were then left to rest for aninterval of one year at the end of which they were bled fordeterminations of residual levels of IgE anti-AgE antibodies (alsoindicated in the left panel). These mice were then divided into 3 groupsof which 2 were given 4 injections (i.d. or i.p. as indicated in theleft panel), each consisting of either unconjugated AgE (75 μg) orAgE-D-GL (250 μg D-GL containing 75 μg AgE). The injections were givendaily intervals. Five days after the final injection, these 2 treatedgroups and a third group of untreated control mice were then challengedwith 5 g of AgE in 4 mg of alum. The IgE anti-AgE antibody responses ofgroups of 3 mice each are presented in the right panel as percent of thecontrol response developed by untreated mice, with the actual controlvalues illustrated in parentheses above or below the corresponding datapoint after secondary challenge.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Reagents

The random copolymer of D-glutamic acid and D-lysine (poly (D Glu⁶⁰ DLys⁴⁰) or D-GL) was obtained from Miles Laboratories, Inc., Elkhart, INas the HBr salt and used as received. The polymer has an averagemolecular weight of 63,000 and a ratio of D-glutamic acid to D-lysineresidues of 60:40. Hen egg ovalbumin (OVA), 5x recrystallized, waspurchased from Pentax, Inc., Kankakee, IL. Insulin (porcine) wasobtained from Schwarz/Mann, Orangeburg, NY.m-Maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS) andN-succinimidyl-e-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate were obtained from PierceChemical Co., Rockford, IL. S-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride, avidinand d-biotin were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO.5,5'-Dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) was obtained from Calbiochem, LaJolla, CA. d-[Carbonyl-¹⁴ C] biotin was obtained from Amersham/SearleCo., Chicago, IL. Bioinyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester and [carbonyl-¹⁴ C]biotinyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester were prepared from d-biotin andd-[carbonyl-¹⁴ C] biotin, respectively, as described (Bayer and Wilchek,1974; Jasiewicz et al., 1976).

Preparative Procedures

The amount of unmodified D-GL below refers to the weighed amount and theamount of unmodified protein is determined by uv absorbance.

A. Radiolabeling of D-GL, OVA, Insulin and Ragweed E

In order to radiolabel D-GL with ¹²⁵ I, the synthetic copolymer wassubstituted with hydroxyphenylpropionyl (HPP) as follows: 10 mg (157nmol) of D-GL was dissolved in 1 mL of 0.075 M borate buffer, pH 8.5,and the pH of the solution was adjusted to 8.5. Fifty microliters of asolution of N-succinimidyl-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate (4 mg/mL, 760nmol) in dimethylformamide was added and the mixture was stirred for 30min. at room temperature. The resulting HPP-substituted D-GL wasdialyzed extensively against phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, 0.01 Mphosphate buffer, 0.15 M NaCl, pH 7.2). Using ε (280 nm)=1660 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹for 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionamide (in PBS, pH 7.2), the molarquantity of the hydroxyphenylpropionyl group was determined. HPP₄ -D-GLwas radiolabeled with ¹²⁵ I using the standard chloramine-T oxidationprocedure (Greenwood et al., 1963). The specific activity of the samplewas 420 μCi/mg.

OVA and Insulin were labeled with ¹³¹ I by the solid-phaselactoperoxidase method (David, 1972; David and Reisfeld, 1974). Thespecific activities were 2 mCi/mg and 5 mCi/mg, respectively. RagweenAntigen E is labeled with ¹³¹ I in the same manner.

B. m-Maleimidobenzoyl-Ovalbumin (MB-OVA)

The maleimide group was incorporated into OVA by reacting the proteinwith m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS, Kitagawa andAikawa, 1976). OVA (17 mg, 380 nmol) was dissolved in 1.0 mL of 0.01 Mphosphate buffer at pH 7.0. Fifty μL of a solution of MBS (24.8 mg/mL, 482 mol) in dimethylformamide was added. After stirring at roomtemperature for 30 min, the mixture was applied to a 0.9 cm×40 cm columnof Sephadex G-25 (Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ) equilibrated with 0.1 Mphosphate buffer, pH 6.0 and eluted with the same buffer at 4° C.Collected fractions were monitored for absorbance at 280 nm and thosecontaining the derivatized OVA were pooled and used directly for theconjugation reaction. In order to determine the quantity of maleimidegroup incorporated, an aliquot (100 μL containing 9 nmol of protein) ofthe solution was taken, flushed with nitrogen, and reacted with knownamount of deoxygenated aqueous solution of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME, 25μL, 35 nmol) for 20 min. Deoxygenated 0.2 M Tris-buffer, pH 8.2 (1 mL)and 0.01 M 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) in deoxygenated methanol(100 μL) was added and the color developed in the sample after 30 min.was measured at 412 nm on a Beckman model 25 spectrophotometer (Ellman'smethod, Ellman, 1959). The molar quantity of maleimide groups presentthen equals the molar quantity of 2-ME consumed. The amount ofderivatized OVA in the aliquot was determined by Folin-Lowry method(Lowry et al., 1951) using OVA as the standard and the ratio ofmaleimide groups to OVA was found to be 2.4:1 (i.e. MB₂.4 -OVA).

C. m-Maleimidobenzoyl-D-GL (MB-D-GL)

This compound was prepared essentially as described for MB-OVA,radio-labeled D-GL was used as a tracer. The buffer used to dissolveD-GL was 0.2 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.2 and the molar ratio of MBS toD-GL used in the reaction was 5:1. The molar quantity of maleimidegroups was similarly determined and the derivatized D-GL was quantitatedby radioactivity. The MB: D-GL ratio was found to be 2.4:1 (MB₂.4-D-GL).

D. m-Maleimidobenzoyl-Insulin (MB-In)-Ragweed Antigen E (MB-AgE)

MB-In was prepared essentially as described for MB-OVA except that theeluent used for the Sephadex G-25 was PBS (pH 7.2). Reaction of insulin(1 mM) with 5 mol-equivalent of MBS gave MB₀.9 -insulin. MB-AgE wasprepared by reacting 20 mg (540 nmol) of antigen:E and 4.2 mg (13.5 μmolin 200 μl of dimethylformamide) of MBS in 2.0 ml of 0.01 M phosphatebuffer, pH 7.0, and isolated by gel filtration chromatography on acolumn of Sephadex G-25, essentially as described for MB-OVA. The MB:AgEratio was determined to be 3.6:1.

E. Mercaposuccinyl-D-GL (SH-D-GL)

Thiolation of D-GL was effected by the reported method (Klotz andHeiney, 1962) of thiolation of proteins at the ε-amino groups of lysineresidues. D-Gl (40 mg, 627 nmol, containing trace quantities of ¹²⁵I-D-GL) was dissolved in 900 μL of 0.125 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.2, andthe pH of the solution was adjusted to 7.2 with 1 N NaOH. Twenty μL of asolution of S-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride (12 mg/mL, 1.4 μmol) indimethylformamide was added and the mixture was stirred at roomtemperature for 30 min., during which time the pH was maintained at 7.0by the addition of 1 N NaOH. The solution was applied to a Sephadex G-25column (1 cm×23 cm) equilibrated with PBS, 0.01 M in Na₂ EDTA and waseluted wih the same buffer at 4° C. Effluent (4 mL) containing thederivatized D-GL (¹²⁵ I) was collected and deoxygenated by three cyclesof vacuum-bleeding in nitrogen. Deoxygenated 0.5 M hydroxylamine, pH 7.3(400 μL), was added and the solution was incubated at 37° C. for 20 min.to remove the protecting acetyl group. The sulfhydryl groups presentwere quantitated by Ellman's method as described above (Ellman, 1959).The amount of the derivatized D-GL in the aliquot was determined by theradioactivity and the SH:D-GL ratio was found to be 1.2:1 (SH₁.2 -D-GL).

SH₁.9 -D-GL was similarly prepared by using a molar ratio ofS-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride to D-GL of 5:1.

F. Mercaptosuccinyl-OVA (SH-OVA)

This compound was prepared essentially as described for SH-D-GL. Themolar ratio of S-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride to OVA used in thereaction was 8.6:1. The ratio of sulfhydryl groups to OVA in the productwas 1.1:1 (SH₁.1 -OVA).

G. Biotin-D-GL

One hundred mg of D-GL (1.57 μmol) containing trace quantities of ¹²⁵I-D-GL was dissolved in 3 mL of 0.05 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.2. The pHwas adjusted to 7.2 with 1 N NaOH and 500 μL of a solution ofbiotinyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (5.3 mg/mL, 7.84 μmol) indimethylformamide was added. The mixtre was stirred at room temperaturefor 2 h and was dialyzed against PBS and then against distilled waterand finally lyophilized. The recovery (based on ¹²⁵ I counts) wasgenerally 90-95%.

Utilizing [Carbonyl-¹⁴ C] biotinyl-N-hydroxysuccimide ester (and no ¹²⁵I-D-GL), it was found that 90±% radioactivity was incorporated under thesame condition as described above. Therefore, the ratio of biotin groupsto D-GL in the product must be about 4.5:1.

H. Mercaptosuccinyl-D-GL-Biotin (SH-D-GL-Biotin)

This compound was prepared from biotin₄.5 -D-GL as described forSH-D-GL.

I. Preparation of Avidin-Sepharose Conjugates with Reduced Affinity forBiotin

Avidin-Sepharose conjugate was prepared by coupling 50 mg of avidin with5 g of cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose 4B (Pharmacia) in 15 mL of0.1 M NaHCO₃ and 0.5 M NaCl, pH 8.3 for 16 h at 4° C. as described inthe Pharmacia booklet (Affinity Chromatography Principles and Methods).A suspension of the conjugate in PBS was poured into a column. Todissociate the tetramer of avidin and remove non-covalently boundsubunits, the column was eluted with 30 mL of 6 M guanidinium chlorideand left at room temperature overnight followed by elution with 6 Mguanidinium chloride until the effluent had A₂₈₀ <0.01 (30 mL sufficed)(Green and Toms, 1973). The column was re-equilibrated in PBS (40 mL)and all the binding sites were saturated by equilibrating with 1.2 mMbiotin in PBS (40 mL). Elution with 0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2.0 (40 mL),then removed the biotin from low affinity binding sites and the columnwas finally re-equilibrated in PBS for use (15 mL packed bed).

The capacity of the modified avidin-Sepharose was determined as follows:One mL (packed volume) of the gel was poured into a small column and anexcess of [Carbonyl-¹⁴ C]-biotin with known specific activity was added.The column was eluted with PBS (5 mL) to remove unbound [¹⁴ C]-biotin.The bound [¹⁴ C]-biotin was then eluted with PBS containing biotin (1.2mM) and was quantitated by the radioactivity. The capacity ofavidin-Sepharose was 10.3 μg (42.2 nmol) biotin/mL gel. Using biotin₄.5-D-GL-¹²⁵ I in place of [¹⁴ C]-biotin, the capacity was determined to be0.5 mg (7.8 nmol) biotin₄.5 -D-GL/mL gel.

J. Preparation and Isolation of OVA-D-GL (Biotin)

MB₂.4 -OVA (30 mg, 667 nmol) in 3.0 mL of 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 6.0was mixed with acetyl-S₁.9 -D-GL-Biotin₄.5 (36 mg, 565 nmol, containinga trace quantity of ¹²⁵ I-labeled molecules) in 3.8 mL of PBS, 0.01 M inEDTA (pH of the mixture 6.4). The mixture was deoxygenated by threecycles of vacuum-bleeding in nitrogen. To the solution was added 680 μLof deoxygenated 0.5 M hydroxylamine, pH 7.3, and the mixture was stirredunder nitrogen at 25° C. for 2.5 h. 2-Mercaptoethanol was added to afinal concentration of 1 mM followed by N-ethyl maleimide to a finalconcentration of 2 mM. The solution was stirred at 25° C. for 20 min.after addition of each reagent.

One-third of the reaction mixture was applied to a column ofavidin-Sepharose (40 mL packed bed) equilibrated with PBS at 4° C. andeluted with 100 mL and finally 80 mL of 0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2.0. Thecolumn was then equilibrated with PBS for reuse. The effluents weremonitored for ¹²⁵ I radioactivity and uv absorbance at 280 nm.

The biotin-eluted fractions were dialyzed to remove free biotin and wereconcentrated either by Amicon ultrafiltration or lyophilization (seeResults section for quantitation).

K. Preparation of D-GL-In and D-GL-AgE (Biotin)

Insulin-D-GL (Biotin) was similarly prepared by reacting MB0.9-Insulin(59 μM) and acetyl-S₁.2 -D-GL-Biotin₄.5 (47 μM) in PBS. Ragweed-D-GL(Biotin) was prepared by reacting MB₃.6 -AgE (16 mg, 433 nmol in 3.6 mlof 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 6.0) and SH₁.9 -D-GL-Biotin₄.5 (30.6 mg.480 nmol, containing trace quantity of ¹²⁵ I-labeled molecules, in 3.13ml of PBS, 0.01 M in EDTA) and isolated by affinity columnchromatography on avidin-Sepharose, essentially as described forOVA-D-GL. A product composed of conjugated AgE and total D-GL in a ratioof 0.5:1 was obtained as quantitated by the same method used forOVA-D-GL. The conjugate generally retained 10-20% antigenicity ofantigen E as determined by the percentage of the conjugated proteinadsorbed by anti-AgE-Sepharose immunoadsorbent.

L. Antisera

Rabbit anti-OVA antiserum was obtained by hyperimmunization of NewZealand red rabbits with 50-100 μg of OVA emulsified initially incomplete Freund's adjuvant and subsequently in incomplete Freund'sadjuvant administered subcutaneously. Rabitt anti-insulin antiserum wasprepared by hyperimmunication of the same kind of rabbits first with 200μg of insulin-KLH in complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant as aboveand then with 200 μg of insulin-KLH in 4 mg of alum, administerintraperitoneally.

M. Immunoadsorbent Affinity Chromatographic Column

The conjugate of OVA with Sepharose 4B was prepared by reacting OVA withcyanogen-bromide activated Sepharose 4B (Pharmacia). The column waswashed with 0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2.2, until A₂₈₀ <0.005 before eachuse.

Antibodies with affinity for OVA were isolated by passing rabbitanti-OVA antiserum through OVA-Sepharose and eluting with 0.1 Mglycine-HCl, pH 2.2, after washing with PBS. The acid-eluted solutionwas neutralized with solid Tris (hydroxylmethyl) aminomethane anddialyzed first against PBS and then 0.1 M NaHCO₃, 0.15 M NaCl, pH 8.3.The solution was used directly to conjugate with cyanogen-bromideactivated Sepharose 4B to give an immunoadsorbent with affinity for OVA.The column was washed with 0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2.2, before each use.

Immunoadsorbent with affinity for insulin was similarly prepared fromanti-insulin antibodies isolated from rabbit anti-insulin serum byinsulin-Sepharose column.

Amino Acid Analysis

Amino acid analyses were made on a Beckman Spinco Model 121-M amino acidanalyzer; protein samples were hydrolyzed in 6 N HCl in sealed andevacuated tubes at 110° C. for 24 h.

Modification of OVA and D-GL: General Considerations

A summary of the preparative reactions employed in this study ispresented in FIG. 1. This approach is discussed in the followingsections.

A. Maleimidobenzoylation

Early in these studies, it was found that the maleimide group on MB-OVAand MB-D-GL was not stable at neutral pH. The maleimide contentgradually decreased, most probably by reacting with the ε-amino group oflysine residues. This was especially noticeable on D-GL which has anabundance of such amino groups. The half-life of the maleimide group onD-GL was found to be only a few hours at room temperature at pH 7.0. Thereaction of maleimide derivatives with amines has been reported in theliterature (Smyth et al., 1960). The maleimide group on MB-OVA andMB-D-GL was found to remain intact longer at lower pH, i.e. pH 6.0. Lessthan 10% of the maleimide groups on the modified OVA and D-GL reacted inone hour at room temperature at pH 6.0. It was therefore essential thatthe gel filtration be run at pH 6.0, in the cold, and the sample besubsequently kept at the same pH. In addition, care was taken to preparethe compound just before the conjugation reaction.

When the maleimide group is incorporated into an OVA molecule, bothamino groups and sulfhydryl groups of OVA may react with the maleimidegroup either on the same or a different molecule. Therefore,dimerization or self-cross-linking is very likely. When MB-OVA wasincubated at room temperature and at pH 6.2 for 2 hours (the OVA-D-GLconjugation conditions), around 10% of OVA was dimerized as determinedfrom the uv absorbance of the peak eluted earlier than OVA on SephadexG-100. This represents the maximum amount of dimerization which couldoccur in the OVA-D-GL conjugation reaction.

B. Thiolation

In the spectrophotometric determination of sulfhydryl groups by Ellman'smethod, it was found to be very important to deoxygenate the reactionsolution as the reagent, 5,5'-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid), wasrapidly oxidized in the buffer solution used (0.2 M Tris-buffer, pH 8.2)and produced color which interfered with the reading at 412 nm.Hydroxylamine seems to accelerate this oxidation and deoxygenation ofthe solution is especially important in its presence if the correct SHcontent is to be obtained. In stringently deoxygenated solution,hydroxylamine does not interfere with this spectrophotometricdetermination.

Oxidation of the sulfide (OVA or D-GL) to disulfide and, therefore, theresulting formation of protein and D-GL dimers was the major problem inthe thiolation of OVA and D-GL. In an investigation on thiolation ofD-GL, it was found that the succinylation reaction and the subsequentgel filtration on Sephadex G-25 did not have to be run underdeoxygenated conditions; however, it was especially important that thesolution be deoxygenated before hydroxylamine treatment. When SH-OVA wasincubated at room temperature and at pH 6.2 for 2 hours, 26% of theprotein was dimerized as determined by chromatography on a SephadexG-100 column.

It was also found that hydroxylamine did not interfere with the reactionof the sulfhydryl group with the maleimide group and, therefore, did nothave to be removed from the SH-OVA or SH-D-GL preparation prior to theconjugation reactions. As a matter of fact, generation of freesulfhydryl from the S-acetyl form can be performed in the presence ofmaleimide.

Thiolated OVA and D-GL were stable if kept in the protected form (i.e.S-acetylated). For instance, it was found that acetyl-S-D-GL was stablefor at least a week at 4° C.

Conjugation of OVA and D-GL

There are two alternatives to coupling OVA and D-GL by themaleimide-sulfhydryl coupling method: (i) Reaction of MB-OVA withSH-D-GL; (ii) Reaction of SH-OVA with MB-D-GL as illustrated in FIG. 1.In preliminary studies, ¹³¹ I-labeled protein and ¹²⁵ I-labeled D-GLwere used as tracers in order to facilitate identification of theconjugate since it would contain both the ¹²⁵ I and ¹³¹ I radiolabels.

In each reaction, the two components were mixed and the reactionsolution was incubated at room temperature and pH 6.2 for 2 hours undernitrogen atmosphere (solutions were deoxygenated by three cylces ofevacuation-bleeding in nitrogen), and after 2 hours of reaction time,the unreacted sulfhydryl groups were blocked with N-ethylmaleimide (1mM). The reaction solution in each case was applied to a Sephadex G-100column. The fractions were counted for ¹²⁵ I and ¹³¹ I radioactivitywhich was followed by a peak containing only ¹³¹ I. The elutionpositions of D-GL and its conjugates were at the void volume, closerthan would be expected based on their molecular weights. This isprobably related to the non-globular nature of the D-GL molecule. Inparallel experiments, in which modified OVA (MB-OVA or SH-OVA) wasincubated alone under the conjugation conditions and was subjected togel filtration on Sephadex G-100, it was found that the elution positionof the OVA dimers (and oligomers) formed was close to that of D-GL andthe conjugate. Therefore, the first peak contained a mixture of theOVA-D-GL conjugate, D-GL and OVA dimers (and oligomers), and, forabsolute purifications, I resorted to other methods such as affinitychromotography.

In both approaches, about the same amount of protein reacted asindicated by the ratio of the ¹³¹ I counts in the first and second peaksof Sephadex G-100 column. However, the approach (i) is probably a betterchoice since it should result in less protein self-coupling as indicatedin previous sections. Another possible method of conjugating OVA withD-GL is to couple MB-D-GL to unmodified OVA using thenaturally-occurring sulfhydryl group of OVA. When equimolar amounts ofMB-D-GL and OVA were reacted, the conjugate was formed only in lowyield. In this experiment, we did not use radiolabeled OVA as tracersince the sulfhydryl group of OVA is very likely converted tosulfenyliodide upon radiolabeling (Cunningham and Nuenke, 1961). Theconjugated protein in the first peak of the Sephadex G-100 column wasquantitated by Lowry-Folin method (see below for quantitation methods).

Preparation and Isolation of Biotin-labeled OVA-D-GL Conjugate

The preparation procedures for OVA-D-GL (biotin) from MB-OVA and SH-D-GL(biotin) was described in the Materials and Methods. One feature of thispreparation is the generation of SH-D-GL (biotin) from its protectedprecursor in situ in the presence of MB-OVA. The extent of self-couplingof SH-D-GL was thereby reduced and the overall preparative procedure wassimplified. Another feature of the preparation is the direct applicationof the reaction mixture to the avidin-Sepharose column for purification.

The separation profile is shown in FIG. 2. The fractions were monitoredfor radioactivity and uv absorbance at 280 nm. Elution with PBS alonegave a peak which consisted of a mixture comprised of (1) unconjugatedOVA and/or OVA dimers and aggregates; and (2) unconjugated D-GL orOVA-D-GL conjugates which either lacked biotin or in which the biotinmolecules were unexposed for binding to avidin. Elution with PBScontaining biotin (1.2 mM) then yielded the desired OVA-D-GL-(biotin)conjugate together with unconjugated D-GL-(biotin). Further elution with0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2.0 yielded little material. The first peakcontained 15% of the ¹²⁵ I counts loaded on the column. The second peakcontained 70% of the counts and third peak 5%. Therefore, the totalrecovery was about 90%.

The effectiveness of the avidin-Sepharose column for purification ofOVA-D-GL conjugate is demonstrated in FIG. 3. Material eluted by PBS wasfractionated on Sephadex G-100 (FIG. 3B) and was shown to contain mainlyOVA and its dimer (eluted at positions identical to that of productsobtained when MB-OVA was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 h).Material eluted by biotin-containing buffer was similarly shown to beexclusively devoid of unconjugated protein (FIG. 3A). It is to be notedthat D-GL (¹²⁵ I) exhibits long tailing on Sephadex G-100 (FIG. 3A).Since dinitrophenylated D-GL (DNP₁₀ -D-GL) did not exhibit such longtailing (fractions monitored by absorbance at 360 nm), this is probablydue to fragmentation of D-GL molecules upon radioiodination or due toradiodecomposition of the radiolabeled D-GL (Bayly and Evans, 1966)although it is also partially due to the heterogeneity of D-GL employed.

Quantitation of Biotin-Containing Protein-D-GL Conjugate

For quantitation of OVA, we originally used ¹³¹ I-labeled OVA as tracerand thought that the conjugate could be identified by the presence ofboth ¹²⁵ I and ¹³¹ I counts precipitable by anti-OVA antibodies.However, we found that most (>70%) of the ¹³¹ I labels on OVA were notrecovered from the avidin-Sepharose column. This is most probably due tothe release of the labile radiolabels on OVA which are present assulfenyliodide (Cunningham and Nuenke, 1961).

There is also a problem in the quantitation of protein in the conjugatepreparation by Lowry-Folin method, since D-GL will give a Folin color.For example, a test solution (2.4 mL) containing a final concentrationof 0.65 μM of D-GL had A₇₀₀ of 0.22 compared to A₇₀₀ of 0.75 for asolution of OVA (0.92 μM). The amount of protein can however bequantitated by the Lowry-Folin method (Lowry, et al. 1951) provided thatthe contribution from D-GL be corrected for. For example, the amount ofcolor (A₇₀₀) developed in the tests for solutions containing 50 μg D-GLand varied amounts of OVA is linear for 0-100 μg of OVA and is equal tothe sum of that for isolated D-GL and OVA.

Quantitation can be more conveniently done from uv absorbance of theconjugate. MBS-modified protein does not have the same absorbance as theunmodified protein since maleimidobenzoyl (MB) groups contribute to theabsorption at 280 nm. The uv absorption of the conjugation reactionsmixture was measured after the maleimide groups are quenched bymercaptoethanol. Since the reaction mixture contained known amount ofprotein derivatized with MB in which the maleimide moieties aresaturated by coupling to SH on either D-GL or mercaptoethanol, anextinction coefficient for the modified protein can be calculated andthe amount of conjugated protein obtained from the avidin-Sepharosecolumn can thereby quantitated. Since proteins are probably notuniformly modified by MBS (i.e. number of MB groups on the modifiedproteins may follow a Poisson distribution (Gennis and Cantor, 1972),the absorbance used here is an average absorbance. It is also assumedthat there is no significant difference in the `average` absorbancebetween D-GL-conjugated and purification methods.

During the development of the conjugation and purification methodsreported here, ¹²⁵ I-labeled D-GL was always used to facilitatequantitation. Biotin-modified D-GL can also be quantitated by asensitive spectrophotometric assay for biotin-containing compounds. Itis based on the use of the dye 4-hydroxyazobenzene-2'-carboxylic acidwhich binds to avidin to form a complex having an absorption maximum at500 nm. Biotin can displace this dye from avidin and cause a decrease inabsorption at 500 nm which is linearly proportional to the concentrationof biotin (Green, 1970). It was found that there was a linearrelationship between the decrease of absorption and the amount ofbiotin-D-GL up to a maximum of 250 μg which corresponded to a ΔA₅₀₀ of0.55. It was also found that conjugation of protein to D-GL had littleeffect on the binding of the biotin on D-GL to avidin (FIG. 4). Theamount of D-GL in the conjugate preparation can therefore be quantitatedusing biotin-D-GL as the standard.

Quantitated in these ways, a particular conjugate preparation obtainedafter avidin-Sepharose purification contained 11.0 mg (244 nmol) ofconjugated OVA and 21.0 mg (330 nmol) of conjugated and non-conjugatedD-GL, starting from 667 nmol of MB-OVA and 565 nmol of acetyl-S-D-GL.The sample was subjected to amino acid analysis to obtain a moreaccurate quantitation of conjugated protein. The results indicated thatthe actual amount of protein was less than that estimated as above witha difference of less than 10%.

Immunochemical Characterization of OVA-D-GL and Purification of theConjugate by Immunoadsorbent Affinity Chromatography

Quantitative precipitin reaction of OVA-D-GL preparation after theavidin-Sepharose purification with rabbit anti-OVA serum is shown inFIG. 5 which illustrates that the majority of antigenic determinants ofOVA were retained after conjugation.

Protein-D-GL conjugates were further purified by immunoadsorbentaffinity chromatography on columns prepared with anti-proteinantibodies. The column was first eluted with PBS and the desiredconjugate was recovered by elution with 0.1 M glycine-HCl buffer at pH2.2. Conjugates were found to be stable under these purificationconditions, since they could subsequently be quantitatively readsorbedby the immunoadsorbent after neutralization. When OVA-D-GL preparationwas subjected to this purification, 76% of the protein was in theacid-eluted fractions as determined from absorbance at 280 nm. Thisrepresented the fraction of conjugated-OVA which retained the capacityto combine with antibodies. Together with the protein, 39±3% of D-GL(quantitated by ¹²⁵ I counts) were contained in the acid-elutedfractions. This represented the amount of D-GL conjugated to OVA whichretained antigenicity. It was demonstrated that these immunoadsorbentcolumns do not have affinity for nonconjugated D-GL.

Preparation of Insulin-D-GL and Ragweed Antigen E Conjugates

The same conjugation and isolation procedures were applied topreparation of insulin-D-GL conjugate. The conjugate was similarlypurified by avidin-Sepharose and anti-insulin immunoadsorbent columns. Apreparation containing insulin and D-GL in a ratio of 0.8:1 (conjugatedinsulin:total D-GL) was obtained by reacting MB-insulin and SH-D-GL inconcentrations designated in Materials and Methods and then subjectingthe conjugate to avidin-Sephrose purification.

The affinity of D-GL-conjugated insulin for rabbit anti-insulinantibodies before and after immunoadsorbent purification was assessed bya radioimmunoassay essentially as described by Glover et al. (1967). Theresults are shown in FIG. 6. There is a substantial loss of antigenicityof insulin upon conjugation to D-GL. The percentage antigenicity oneassesses from this radioimmunoassay depends on what percent-bound onechooses. At 50% bound, the antigenicity retained in 30%, in agreementwith the percentage of insulin-D-GL adsorbed by anti-insulin column.After purification by anti-insulin immunoadsorbent, insulin-D-GLexhibited 68% of the antigenicity of insulin. The difference between theinhibition of ¹³¹ I-insulin binding by insulin and by the purifiedinsulin-D-GL here must be reflecting the difference in the affinity oftwo molecules for anti-insulin antibodies.

These same preparative techniques are applicable to the preparation ofRagweed antigen E-D-DG conjugates.

The coupling method employed is based on the reaction of a maleimidegroup conjugated to the protein (or D-GL) and a sulfhydryl group eitherpresent on the native protein or introduced into the protein (or D-GL)by thiolation (FIG. 1), as originally developed by other investigators(Kato et al., 1975, 1976; Kitawawa and Aikawa, 1976). Using OVA as aprototype protein, three different approaches were tested and it wasdemonstrated that conjugation by reacting MB-OVA and SH-D-GL was mostsatisfactory in terms of its higher efficiency and lower extent ofprotein self-coupling. Modified-OVA with an average of two to threemaleimide groups and modified D-GL with an average of one to twosulfhydryl group were reacted in this conjugation reaction.

This method is extremely mild, has high coupling efficiency, and doesnot result in extensive self-coupling, intra- or intermolecular, of D-GLor protein as occurs when other commonly employed coupling reagents areused (such as glutaraldehyde, bisimidoesters, toluene diisocyanate andcarbodiimides). However, it was found that dimerization of protein wasstill not totally avoidable since maleimide groups also react with aminoand sulfhydryl groups of another protein molecule. Therefore, a methodto separate protein dimers (and aggregates) from the conjugates wasneeded. Affinity chromatography is clearly the method of choice.Ideally, if antibodies specific for D-GL were available, we could use ananti-D-GL immunoadsorbent as the affinity column. However, since D-GL isnot immunogenic, this is not possible. In order to circumvent thisproblem, a method has been devised which applies the well-known affinitybetween a protein, avidin, and the small vitamin molecule, biotin. Theuse of biotin for this purpose, furthermore, would be consistent withsound and ethical medical therapeutic principles since itsadministration should be completely safe. Thus, biotin was introducedinto the D-GL molecule to create a probe which allows the separation ofthe biotin-labeled protein-D-GL conjugate from non-conjugated protein byaffinity chromatography on an avidin-Sepharose column.

The avidin-biotin complex is one of the tightest biological complexesknown (for review, see Green, 1975). Due to its high affinity andspecificity, this system has been applied in many biological studies(see references in Liu and Leonard, 1978). However, the application ofavidin-Sepharose in the affinity chromatographic isolation ofbiotin-containing molecules has been limited, due to the problem inrecovery since the affinity of avidin to biotin is so high. Tocircumvent this problem the avidin-Sepharose was modified in such a waythat the biotin-labeled compounds can be recovered with high yieldsunder very mild conditions and the affinity column can be easilyrecycled. A similar modification of avidin-Sepharose for thepurification of biotin-containing enzymes has recently been reported(Maloy, 1977).

Using these methods, an OVA-D-GL-(biotin) conjugate which is absolutelyfree of non-conjugated OVA was obtained. The ratio of OVA to D-GL was0.7:1. These preparations consisted of the conjugate and the freeD-Gl-(biotin). It is to be noted that, since there is more than onesulfhydryl group and maleimide group on D-GL and OVA, respectively,molecules such as containing two OVA on one D-GL or two D-GL on one OVAare probably present. For present purposes, the free D-GL-(biotin) doesnot have to be removed from the conjugate preparations since it has beenwell-established in this laboratory that D-GL is neither immunogenic nortoxic. Moreover, the introduction of small numbers of the vitaminmolecule, biotin, should not induce any change in the non-immunogenicand nontoxic properties of D-GL.

Industrial Applicability

The methods which have been developed can be applied to the preparationof many protein-D-GL conjugates. In general, protein is modified withm-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester to give MB protein whichis reacted with SH-D-GL-biotin generated in situ from acetyl-S-D-GL byhydroxylamine. The reaction mixture is then subjected toavidin-Sepharose affinity chromatography to separate the conjugate andD-GL from protein dimers, oligomers or aggregates. The conjugatefractions can be further purified by immunoadsorbent affinitychromatography on a column prepared with anti-protein antibodies. Thisshould remove the non-conjugated D-GL and any conjugate containingprotein with disrupted antigenic determinants from the stable conjugate.Therefore, the application of avidin-biotin system has provided aconvenient and rapid method for purification of our conjugates. Moreimportantly, it has provided us with a way to obtain conjugates whichare absolutely free of non-conjugated protein.

The conjugation and purification procedures have also been applied toinsulin-D-GL. The efficiency of conjugation reaction is quite dependenton the protein employed. Insulin-D-GL was produced in high yield eventhough MB-insulin containing only an average of one maleimide group wasused.

In this study, there was great concern about retention of antigenicityof proteins conjugated to D-GL. It should be also of general interest tosee the effect of modification of proteins by a polymer containing largenumbers of amino and carboxyl groups capable of interacting withproteins by electrostatic and hydrogen bonds on the capacity of theprotein to combine with its antibodies. It was demonstrated thatconjugation of OVA with D-GL does not affect its ability to formprecipitating complexes with antibodies (FIG. 5). The shape of thequantitative precipitin reaction curve of OVA-D-GL is similar to that ofOVA. The equivalence point is shifted to a higher antigen concentrationfor OVA-D-GL; this can be accounted for by the presence of someconjugates containing OVA with altered antigenic determinants which arenon-precipitable by antiserum and non-adsorbable by anti-OVAimmunoadsorbent.

The effect of D-GL on the affinity of the D-GL-conjugated protein forits antibodies and the effect of purification by immunoadsorbentaffinity chromatography are best demonstrated in the case ofinsulin-D-GL (FIG. 6). Insulin-D-GL prepared under the presentconjugation conditions retained less than 30% of the antigenicity ofinsulin. This is not unexpected since antigenicity of insulin is verysensitive to chemical modifications. For example, modification ofphenylalinine-B 1 amino group of insulin by acetylation oracetoacetylation causes a marked decrease of its affinity foranti-insulin immunoadsorbent, insulin-D-GL exhibited substantialretention of the antigenic structure of insulin. These conjugates musthave D-GL conjugated at some specific site(s). It is interesting thatantigenicity of insulin is not significantly disturbed by conjugationwith a large molecule, such as D-GL, if it is appropriately conjugated.Since the present purification procedures guarantee the absence of anynon-conjugated insulin, it will be of interest to test the hormonalactivity of the conjugate.

Biologic Response

The results of these studies on the tolerogenic activity of OVA-D-GL inmice have indicated that the conjugate is, indeed, effective insuppressing reaginic (IgE) antibody responses. The capacity of suchprotein-D-GL conjugates to suppress specific antibody responses are ofobvious significance to their clinical applicability for therapy invarious allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Animals and Immunization

CAF₁ mice (8-12 weeks old unless otherwise specified) were obtained fromthe Jackson Laboratories, Bar Harbor, ME, and were immunized andchallenged intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 10 μg of OVA or 5 μg of AgE (orragweed extract-RAG) adsorbed on Al(OH)₃ gel (alum, 4 mg or 2 mg) asdescribed and according to experimental protocols as given in results,below.

Measurements of Antibodies

A. The concentration of IgE anti-OVA or anti-AgE antibodies werequantitated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reactions in rats asdescribed previously from this laboratory, with titers presented asreciprocals of highest dilutions yielding positive reactions.

B. The IgG antibody activity of mouse anti-OVA antisera was measured bysolid-phase radioimmunoassay using ¹²⁵ I-labeled rabbit anti-mouse Fab.That of mouse anti-AgE antisera was determined by a double antibodymethod using ¹²⁵ I-labeled AgE and a rabbit anti-mouse serum.

OVA-D-GL Induces Persistent Tolerance in the IgE, but not the IgG,Antibody Class in CAF₁ Mice

The three groups of normal CAF₁ mice were injected introdermally (i.d.)and intravenously (i.v.) with 4 doses, administered at 2-day intervals,of either (1) OVA-D-GL containing 250 μg of total D-GL (100 g ofconjugated OVA); (2) 100 μg of unconjugated OVA; or (3) a mixture of 250μg of D-GL plug 100 μg of unconjugated OVA. One day after the 4th dose,these mice and a group of untreated control mice were primarilyimmunized with 10 μg of OVA plus alum (day 0). On day 15, mice weretreated again, just as in the initial treatment, and then secondarilychallenged with 10 μg of OVA plus alum.

As shown in the bottom panel of FIG. 7, control mice developed very goodprimary and secondary anti-OVA IgE antibody responses. Mice pretreatedand later secondarily treated with OVA-D-GL failed to produce detectableanti-OVA IgE antibody responses at any time during the period ofobservation. This unresponsiveness persisted for a long time, even aftera third challenge with the sensitizing dose of OVA administered 45 daysafter the second treatment with OVA-D-GL. Groups of mice which weretreated with either OVA or a mixture of OVA plus D-GL also displayedsuppressed IgE antibody responses. The pattern of unresponsiveness inthese latter two groups was, however, significantly different from thatmanifested by mice treated with OVA-D-GL. Thus, in both cases thesuppression of IgE antibody production was transient and followed by arebound production of anti-OVA IgE antibodies at levels that were attimes higher than those produced by the untreated control mice. Aparticularly pertinent contrast in the relative effectiveness of thesedifferent modes of treatment is illustrated by the clear ability of micetreated with a mixture of OVA plus D-GL to develop significant IgEanti-OVA responses following tertiary antigenic challenge administeredrelatively later in the course (day 66), whereas mice treated withOVA-D-GL were totally unresponsive at this time.

In contrast with the clear effectiveness of OVA-D-GL in inducingunresponsiveness in the IgE antibody class, the treatment failed todiminish anti-OVA antibody responses of the IgG class and, moreover,actually appeared to heighten the IgG responses, FIG. 7, (top panel).This was true not only of mice treated with either unconjugated OVA or amixture of D-GL plus OVA. Note that these treated mice produced higherlevels of IgG anti-OVA antibodies than the corresponding untreatedcontrol mice, particularly during the early stages of observation.

Comparable results were obtained in a separate experiment of similardesign using AgE-D-GL as a means for abolishing IgE antibody responsesspecific for AgE.

Induction of Tolerance in the IgE Antibody Class by Administration ofOVA-D-GL to CAF₁ Mice Previously Sensitized to OVA

Two groups of untreated mice were primarily sensitized with 10 μg of OVAplus alum. Fifteen days later, one group was injected i.d. and i.v. withfour doses of OVA-D-GL; the second group was not treated. One day afterthe last dose of OVA-D-GL, both groups were secondarily challenged with10 μg of OVA plus alum.

As shown in the bottom panel of FIG. 8, immediately after treatment withOVA-D-GL, and just prior to secondary challenge, such treated micedisplayed higher levels of IgE anti-OVA antibodies than the untreatedcontrols. However, in contrast to the untreated group, which developedgood secondary responses, the OVA-D-GL-treated mice displayed a sharpdrop in their IgE anti-OVA antibody levels. These depressed responses insuch treated mice persisted for 15-18 days, follwing which their IgEantibodies rose briefly to normal levels and then subsided to 50% ofcontrol titers by day 59. At that time, this group was treated a secondtime, just as in the initial treatment, and then given a third challengewith 10 μg OVA plus alum. Unlike the untreated control mice whichdeveloped substantial tertiary responses following such challenge, theOVA-D-GL treated mice not only failed to respond but, to the contrary,actually displayed diminution of their IgE anti-OVA antibodies toundetectable levels.

The selective nature of tolerance induction for antibodies of the IgEclass was again observed in this experiment. As shown in the top panelof FIG. 8, the anti-OVA IgG antibody response of the treated group was43-fold higher than that exhibited by the untreated controls after thefirst treatment with OVA-D-GL. This marked hyperresponsiveness in theIgG class subsided such that the OVA-D-GL-treated mice producedcomparable levels of IgG antibodies to those of the control groupfollowing secondary challenge. However, after the second treatment withOVA-D-GL (day 59), IgG antibody production was again enhanced in thetreated mice.

Antigen E-D-GL Induces in the IgE antibody Class When Administered toCAF₁ Mice One Year After Initial Sensitization With Antigen E.

Although the preceding experiments demonstrate the efficacy ofprotein-D-GL conjugates in inducing specific immunological tolerance ineither unsensitized or previously sensitized mice when analyzed in acutecircumstance, I wished to ascertain how effective this approach would bein circumstances that more closely approximated a clinical allergyproblem. The rationale was, therefore, to sensitize mice, in this casewith antigen E, and then let them rest for a period of one year beforesubjecting them to any further manipulation. Following this prolongedinterval, certain mice would be treated, others not, and determinationsmade of their relative capacities to develop specific antibody responsesfollowing subsequent challenge with AgE. The results of such a study aresummarized in FIG. 9.

CAF₁ mice were exposed to a low dose of whole body ionizingX-irradiation (250 R) shortly prior to primary sensitization with 10 μgof RAG plus alum. The reason for exposing such mice to low doses ofX-irradiation pertains to previous investigations in this laboratorythat demonstrated that such manipulations resulted in substantialenhancement of the magnitude of IgE antibody production followingsensitization with any number of antigens. As shown in the left panel ofFIG. 9, this immunization regimen resulted in very good primary IgEanti-AgE antibody responses. Following a one year interval of rest, allof these mice were bled to determine the magnitude of specific anti-AgEIgE antibodies detectable in their serum at that time. It is of interestto note that all mice so tested had detectable IgE antibodies, eventhough they had not been subsequently exposed to AgE during the one-yearrest period.

Mice producing the lowest titers of IgE antibodies (PCA titer--40) werethen divided into 3 groups. Two groups were injected i.d. and i.p. with4 doses of either (1) AgE-D-GL containing 250 μg of D-GL (75 μg ofconjugated AgE), or (2) 75 μg of unconjugated AgE. A third group wasleft untreated as controls. Five days after the last dose, all mice wereseondarily challenged with 5 μg of AgE plus alum. As shown in the rightpanel of FIG. 3, untreated control mice developed excellent secondaryIgE antibody responses which peaked 7 days after secondary challenge.Mice treated with unconjugated AgE, although manifesting 50% lowerresponses than untreated controls on day 7, produced IgE anti-AgEresponses either comparable to or 2-fold higher than those controlslater in the response. In marked contrast, those mice treated withAgE-D-GL displayed a marked inability to develop anything other thanvery meager AgE-specific IgE responses.

These results demonstrate the successful induction of specificimmunological tolerance (1) to two different protein antigens, OVA andAgE, (2) in both unsensitized and previously sensitized experimentalanimals, and (3) which is selectively confined to responses of the IgEantibody class. Such tolerance resulted from the administration ofappropriate doses of the respective protein-D-GL conjugates. Studiescurrently underway have documented the absolute antigen specificity ofthe tolerant state induced with one or the other of the two protein-D-GLconjugates employed here and, moreover, that the mechanism ofunresponsiveness obtained with protein-D-GL connugates does not involvethe participation of detectable active suppressor cells.

From these data it will be apparent that IgE antobody responses could besuppressed not only by administration of protein-D-GL conjugates, butalso by administering comparable doses of unconjugated protein alone. Itshould be emphasized, however, that the patterns of IgE antibodyproduction following treatment in each of these two ways weresignificantly different. Thus, in general, administration ofunconjugated protein suppressed IgE production effectively, but onlytransiently; in one case of particular note, namely when treatment wasadministered after a one year interval of rest following initialsensitization, administration of unconjugated protein had only marginalinhibitory effects on the specific response, and this effect was shortlyfollowed by a marked "booster" effect on the specific IgE response.Administration of protein-D-GL conjugates, on the other hand, resultedin inhibition of IgE antibody production which persisted for longperiods of time, even after repeated exposure to the sensitizingantigen. I have no information at the present time with regard towhether the mechanism of tolerance induced by these two differentmethods is qualitatively the same or different, but experiments inprogress are designed to address this important question.

A second point worth emphasizing is the remarkable selectivity ofunresponsiveness observed in these studies. IgE antibody responses weremarkedly diminished while, concomitantly, specific IgG antibodyresponses to the same determinants tended to be increased, irrespectiveof whether protein-D-GL conjugates or unconjugated proteins wereadministered to test mice. This represents a major difference betweenthe protein-D-GL system and the hapten-D-GL systems studied earlier; inthe latter systems, it was clear that antibody responses of allimmunoglobulin classes were susceptible to tolerance induction followingexposure to hapten-D-GL conjugates. I have no data at present that wouldhelp to explain the selectivity of protein-D-GL conjugates for responsesof the IgE class, and further studies are necessary to clarify thispoint. Possibly, the relative concentration of protein determinants on agiven D-GL molecule may determine the extend of Ig class selectivityobserved. Nevertheless, it is clear that fundmental differences exist inthe susceptibility to tolerance induction of the IgE and IgG antibodysystems, respectively, under the conditions of the experiments reportedhere. Establishment of the basis for this difference will be of greatsignificance in furthering our understanding of regulatory control ofthese two antibody classes.

In the hapten-D-GL tolerance models, substantial evidence has beenpreviously obtained demonstrating the rapid and irreversibleinactivation of B lymphocytes specific for the hapten-employed afterbrief exposure to the conjugate, possibly by disturbance of normalmembrane machinery. The mechanism of tolerance induction by protein-D-GLconjugates has yet to be established. The conjugate may be actingdirectly on B lymphocytes, notably those of the IgE class, onprotein-specific T lymphocytes (of either helper or suppressor type, orboth) or on both B and T lymphocytes. Studies in other laboratories haverecently demonstrated that antigen-specific suppressor T cells, capableof suppressing IgE antibody production, can be generated in experimentalanimals by administering urea-denatured antigen or protein coupled topolyethylene glycol. In the latter study, controls for the suppressiveeffects of unconjugates protein were not reported, thus leaving open thepossibility that the supression obtained with protein-polyethyleneglycol conjugates may be similar to that obtained with unconjugatedprotein alone, as demonstrated in the present study. While inhibition ofIgE antibody production by the function of antigen-specific T cells isitself important, the practicality of such approaches as a therapeuticmodality are not expected to be far-reaching due to the transient natureof such suppression phenomena.

It should be noted that one recent report claimed that DNP-D-GL inducedDNP-specific suppressor T cells in a murine system. However, since theexperimental conditions employed were not adequate for eliminating thepossible carry-over of tolerogenic DNP-D-GL molecules in the cellmixtures, this interpretation may not be valid. Nevertheless, as stateabove, there is no a priori reason not to consider that the mechanismsof tolerance induction with hapten-D-GL and protein-D-GL conjugates,respectively, could be quite different.

The obvious implication of our results is that allergenic proteinscoupled with D-GL may prove useful in man for the specific abrogation ofIgE antibody responses to the relevant allegen in those IgE-mediateddisorders where the nature of the predominant sensitizing proteins areknown. The fact that protein-D-GL conjugates induce selective inhibitionof IgE antibody production, while not diminishing IgG antibody responsesagainst the same antigen, meets critera for ideal properties oftherapeutic agents of this type to use in human allegic diseases.

Conjugation, purification and quantitation procedures such as thosedescribed here and the concept of application of the avidin-biotinsystem are regarded as widely applicable to preparation of conjugates ofproteins, protein-polypeptides and protein-polysaccharides for a varietyof experimentsl purposes in which such substances may be of value.

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I claim as my invention:
 1. The method of purifying conjugate ofD-glutamic acid-D-lysine copolymer and protein comprising reacting saidcopolymer with biotin before forming said conjugate and, after formationof said conjugate, separating said conjugate from non-conjugated proteinby affinity chromatography on an avidin-Sepharose chromatographiccolumn.
 2. The method of purifying conjugate of D-glutamic acid-D-lysinecopolymer and antigen comprising reacting said copolymer with biotinbefore forming said conjugate and, after formation of said conjugate,separating said conjugate from non-conjugated antigen by affinitychromatography on an avidin-Sepharose chromatographic column.
 3. Themethod of purifying conjugate of D-glutamic acid-D-lysine copolymer andinsulin comprising reacting said copolymer with biotin before formingsaid conjugate and, after formation of said conjugate, separating saidconjugate from non-conjugated insulin by affinity chromatography on anavidin-Sepharose chromatographic column.